Archaeological ‘Radar’ Revolution Finally Arrives

LiDAR , or “light detection and ranging,” has been around since the 1980s, particularly in Europe. It works by painting an area with light and recording the time it takes to be reflected.

But it is only recently the resolution has been high enough to see individual archaeological features. It now has a plus-minus range of about 2.5cm, roughly the size of a Rubik’s Cube. Now it is both accurate and cheap.

Ars Technica describes in some detail how archaeologist Chris Fisher is using a technology which he says will have the same impact on his profession as the advent of carbon dating. He specializes in Western Mexico.

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